Historically, fresh water has been treated as an unlimited natural resource usually controlled by governments in most parts of the world. The low price of water coupled with the difficulty in moving water over great distances serves to keep most fresh water use local. As both use and population increase, fresh water resources can reach their natural limit in some areas. Price increases normally follow.
In many parts of the world, water is a critically limiting resource. Water is necessary for urban development (including personal use), agriculture, industry, landscaping, and consumptive uses (oil and natural gas development). In those areas with limited fresh water resources, the competing water uses are often allocated hierarchically. This allocation structure usually places personal use as the top priority and industrial use at the bottom.
Economic growth demands a reliable and cost effective supply of both water and energy. With industrial uses at or near the bottom of the priority list, industry is often left to seek out new ways to decrease water use while also searching for other sources of water such as wells. One of the more difficult problems of current-day governments and society in general is to balance the needs of economic growth and environmental protection. Thus, there is a significant need for water production that benefits economic growth without significantly detracting from the water environment.
Petroleum contact water is one particular category of industrial wastewater, and may be defined as water containing petroleum product. Examples of petroleum contact water include, without limitation: (1) condensate from underground and aboveground petroleum tanks; (2) water bottoms or drawdown water removed from a petroleum storage tank system; (3) water in contact with petroleum product that displays a visible sheen contained in spill containment and secondary containment areas associated with petroleum tank storage, petroleum transportation, and petroleum distribution systems; (4) petroleum tank filler sump and dispenser sump water; and (5) recovered petroleum product or water in contact with petroleum product, which does not contain hazardous constituents other than petroleum, from first response actions to petroleum spills or from petroleum contamination site cleanups.
Existing water treatment systems are inefficient and fail to provide an adequate flow of wastewater through the water treatment system. These existing water treatment systems may use batch processes, consume large volumes or land areas, or require long periods of time to remove and consolidate contaminants sufficiently for convenient disposal. Thus, a need exists for a water treatment system that can maintain an optimal water flow while removing particulate contaminates and petroleum products from the wastewater.